Mystery on Mount Goron
by thecrazyfanficcer
Summary: A spinoff of the second level of Majora's Mask, including four Goron OC's, one deadly arrow, and a malevolent stallion. [pathetic old stuff]
1. Trials and Tribulations

All scream for Shigeru Miyamoto and his awesome Zelda and Mario games! Without those, this story wouldn't exist, seeing as Legend of Zelda belongs to him and not me.

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This story is (go figure) packed with crazy things that would never happen in a Zelda game. For example, Link gets shot with an arrow (don't worry, it'll all become clear if you read it). Of course, crazy and messed-up as it is, I still like it because it's my first Link story that I'm writing, and in my opinion it's much better than other things I could think of.

Pikasqueaks: Hey, are you talking about _me?_

Thecrazyfanficcer: Of course.

(Pikasqueaks blushes and sweatdrops)

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Link, after a long and hard adventure, was returning to the humble home he'd made himself in Kokiri Forest even after he'd discovered that he was the Hero of Time. Royalty is kind of annoying if you're not born into it, and Link preferred the forest to a big ol' castle any day.

Something on the horizon loomed deep and dark. Death Mountain? Link thought. No, it's farther off in Hyrule field. Link abruptly changed his course and started trotting towards it.

Link had an idea. Pulling his ocarina thoughtfully out of his pocket, he fixed the mountain with a determined stare and began to play the notes, softly blowing through the holes.

The song lingered in the air even after Link lowered it from his lips. A four-legged figure was arising on the horizon. Link's heart soared. Even though he knew she would come, he always felt happy when he saw that proud roan horse galloping on the horizon.

Epona stopped smoothly in front of him, gracefully ending her effortless gallop. Link clucked softly and reached out into the back pocket of his tunic, handing her a carrot. Epona munched it softly while Link put a foot lightly on her back.

Link hoisted himself on the beautiful roan-colored, white-ankled horse. Epona had grown a lot stronger and faster since Link had been exploring Hyrule, but she wasn't the only one. Link was getting stronger too. Being a wayside wanderer can do that to you.

Link swung a leg over her other side once he had raised himself onto her arching back. Leaning down confidently, he grabbed the reins and Epona shot off like a bullet.

Link needed no whip as he rode Epona toward the mountain. He barely needed to hold the reins. But sitting up straight on the saddle would have been showing off. Anyway, it was cooler this way.

Before long, snow started falling, sprinkling Link and Epona in the face. At least, that was in the beginning. The farther forth they went, the more it snowed until Epona's whole head was pure white.

Shaking all the white sprinkles free of her face, Epona started to make her way up the mountain. But Link stopped her.

"Stop, Epona," he said, putting his hand on her flank. Epona stopped immediately. He didn't even have to say anything; just put his hand in the right place and Epona would obey.

"We can't go on," said Link softly. 'I'll have to go alone." He easily swung off the saddle and turned to face her. "Sorry, Epona, but you'll die up there," he said to Epona's remorseful look. He felt really sad to leave Epona alone, but it was for her. And those big black eyes looking sadly at him weren't helping. "Epona," he said, softly stroking her nose (Horses don't have snouts). "I know you want to come with me, but you can't go. You'll probably die of cold."

Epona gave a snort as if to say, "What about you?" but she hung her head, crestfallen but understanding, anyway.

"That's a good girl." Link patted her to cheer her up. "Look, Epona, do you like the snow?"

In answer to his question, Epona sneezed. She held up her head as if to say, "I'll do anything for you."

Link nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be okay. Now scoot before you die of listening to me." He nudged her with his foot.

Epona, head hanging, set off at a trot. Link sighed, turned to the mountain looming up ahead of him, and began to walk. Before he started scaling the hill, however, he turned and saw the roan fleck disappearing into the horizon.

Link sighed again. "Bye, Epona," he whispered, and began his snowy ascent.


	2. Snow, snow, snow

Link wrapped a scarf around his neck, watching the snowflakes fall. He felt unhappy to leave Epona, but he knew that he had to do this alone. He pulled a Deku stick out of his belt and journeyed up the hill.

The going was hard. Link had to keep his eyes slits above the scarf to avoid all the flakes whipping in his face. The snow was falling thicker, colder, meaner. It had lost its shiny sheen and its cottony feeling. I should know. I live in Montreal.

Link kept slipping on the hard rock despite the snow on it. Every time he fell, he had to grab a knob of rock jutting out the side of the mountain. Sometimes he would fall and catch himself only to slip a bit backwards and the only thing that stopped him was the thick, not-so-fluffy snow.

The cold was getting to him. He could feel his freezing feet turning numb in his boots, and the leg up to his ankles was damp and soaked. But still he kept on.

Link was nearing the head of the slope. As he walked up it, he slipped on a patch of ice. Ice? he thought. Already? But there was no time. Before he knew it, he was slipping, down, down, down…

Link put out his Deku stick just in time. As soon as he stopped falling, he used the stick as a lever to get himself up on shaky feet. This time he made sure he firmly planted the stick in the snow firmly before walking. Maybe I should wear the Zora tunic, he thought. But then he remembered it only fit him when he went into the future 7 years later.

Oh well, he thought with a sigh. It could've been worse, I guess. Then he noticed a large hump in the snow.

Huh? thought Link, nearing toward it. What's that? It was a large mound of snow, seemingly thicker than it should be. Link pressed his hand toward the top. It left a wet, snowy mark.

Wiping the water off his hand, Link looked around. There was no one. Shrugging, he continued on his way. But before he could he saw something sticking out of the mound.

An orange finger.


	3. Four Gorons

Link stood so long just staring at the finger that he just forgot to uncover whoever was under the snowbank. Then he shook himself and looked at the finger again. Why is it orange? he thought. It was a rusty orange-brown, thicker than his own fingers so it must've been a thumb. Link slowly wiped away the snow with his lower arms, then saw what it was.

A Goron.

Link stood staring at the blue, starved body for a while before he tried to do something. A Goron! he thought wildly. But Gorons are supposed to be orange! Then he remembered that the Goron had been in the snowbank for such a long while that their body had probably been not-so-gradually turning blue as it froze.

Link wondered what he should do. Then he saw a small ridge rising out of the side of the mountain. The top was snow-covered and blended perfectly with the surroundings, but from where Link was he could see an entrance; a black hole.

Link finally decided that there was only one way to do it: he had to turn into a Goron. He looked around, pulling the Goron Mask out of his belt. Still checking, Link slid it over his face.

Once he was a full Goron, Link powerfully picked up the frozen Goron from the snow into his arms. If he wanted to turn back to human before anyone in the cave found him, he'd have to release them. Link took a deep breath. He'd just go in as a Goron. After all, if there was a Goron here there must be some more in that cave.

Link put his warm hand on the belly of the Goron to see if she was still alive. Sure enough, he could feel a kind of faint heat beneath his fingers. Sighing, he adjusted his grip on the Goron and quickly headed toward the ridge-cave.

Link poked his head inside the cave once he reached it. He knew he couldn't just drop the Goron, so he'd have to go in Goron form. Link carefully edged his way into the cave.

Someone was coming his way. It was yet another Goron. His skin was orange, and on the back there was a spotted brown pattern. Despite his large belly, his legs were short and thin, thinner than Link's. He wasn't fat; he just had a potbelly-all Gorons did, not to mention the tip of his pointy head was covered in bristly yellowish hair. He had a big red mouth that looked just right for smiling, but it wasn't smiling now.

"A Goron?" he said when he reached Link. He screwed up his face. "She's all blue! Here, follow me."

How'd he know she was a girl? was Link's first thought as he followed the Goron, still holding the unconscious figure into his arms.

The Goron lead them to a small rocky chamber built into the wall, running off to get help. "This is her chamber." He bowed. "I'll go get help."

There was a fire crackling merrily at one end of the room, and a rock slab that served as a bed at another. This is where he carefully set the Goron.

As he took off the Goron Mask, Link watched the Goron's skin turn gradually from blue to orange. She was still a little pale, but seemed otherwise okay.

The Goron leaned on her big hands to sit up in bed. "You're the one who saved me from the snowbank."

"Yeah," said Link. He wondered how she remembered.

"Well, thanks. Who are you, anyway?"

"Link," he replied. "You?"

"Sarah."

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Pikasqueaks: Mm. Sarah makes me think of Saria. Mm.

Thecrazyfanficcer: And just who does Saria remind you of, may I ask?

Pikasqueaks: She reminds me of Mayl.

Thecrazyfanficcer: Go figure. He likes a girl from Mega Man Battle Network. So anyway, (notices Pikasqueaks looking at her strangely.)

Thecrazyfanficcer: What is it now?

Pikasqueaks: You sound weird when you just continue like that.

Gamergirl: It's what _you_ do.

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Now that I have caused that annoying little Pikachu into shut-uppance, Link was thinking of something to say when the big rock door behind them suddenly swung open.

"There he is, there he is!" It was the Goron who Link had first met when he had entered the place.

"That's good now, you can go, Butler," said a wise-looking older Goron.

As the Goron scurried away, Link wondered how he had recognized him if he'd been in Goron form when he'd first got in. _Must be the green hat_, he thought.

The wise-looking Goron, who must have been Sarah's father knelt down beside the bed. There was also, Link noticed, a brother Goron and a motherly Goron with a little bitty Goron baby in her arms.

"Sarah, take this," the father said, handing her a steaming mug.

Sarah started to drink it but then spat it out. "Father, it's awful."

"It's tea made with Bomb Flower leaves. It'll make you feel better," was all he said.

When Sarah was finished drinking, he handed her a bitter-looking weed. "Goron leaves. Eat it," he encouraged.

Sarah sighed and ate the leaves, scrunching up her face with every bite. When she was done, the Goron father turned to Link. "So you're the one who saved my daughter."

Link nodded, grinning shyly as he scuffed the rocky floor with his foot.

The Goron closed his eyes. "The legends speak of a Hero of Time who has walked the earth and he will one day save more lives in danger. It was said that the Hero would wear a green hat."

Link scuffed the dirt again.

"Anyway, we're very thankful that you saved our daughter and brought her back to Mount Goron," said Sarah's mother, speaking for the first time. She shifted the baby in her arms.

The wise Goron looked from Sarah to Link, then back again. "Sarah, tell us how come you were missing for a few days," he said.

She stirred her legs a little. And as I write this, I want you to imagine it going on in your head. "Well, I had decided to get some more pebbles and dirt for us to eat because, you know, our store was getting low."

Her father listened patiently.

"So there I was, just picking pebbles off the ground. All the while it had been snowing, but I didn't really realize it. Anyway, so then a big gust of wind blew into my face, and it started to snow harder. I tried to run back home, but then the snow right above my head started to snow even harder and before I knew it I was caught in a snowbank. I tried to move, but then I realized that I was so darn frozen that I was practically paralysed." She stopped to take a breath.

He nodded in reply. "And how did you find her?"

"Well," Link began, "See, I was just going home, and then I noticed this mountain that I'd never seen before."

"That would be Mount Goron," said Sarah's mother.

"Yeah. Anyway, I just saw her finger sticking out of a snowbank, so what I did was I uncovered her and then I saw the cave so I brought her there."

The father turned towards Link and Sarah again. "Butler reports that you were a Goron when you brought Sarah in. Care to show us?"

"Uh—no," said Link sarcastically.

Sarah's father looked a little taken aback, but he composed himself quickly. Very well then." When Link didn't follow, he turned back, shrugged and went on his way.

Sarah adjusted herself on the slab of rock, leaning her cheek on the palm of her hand. "Is it true what they said about you being the Hero of Time?"

Link grinned shyly. "Yeah, it's true. Boy, I feel more comfortable talking to you than your father about that. No offense," he added quickly.

"It's okay." Sarah grinned. "He's okay once you get to know him. I guess I would get embarrassed too." Then she dropped her voice to a whisper. "Father says you turned into a Goron. I want you to show me."

Link nodded eagerly. He pulled the mask loose from his belt and slipped it over his face. All at once, he could feel himself changing. For one thing, he felt himself get higher in his boots, which were thickening to accommodate his large feet. His arms coiled and thickened with muscles. A Goron etched itself on his back (I get that from reading so many Animorphs books, you know, when they turn into birds? Only they didn't pop up). It tickled Link, making him laugh. Bristly beige hair layered itself on his slightly pointed head. Big brown beads sprung on his neck and he could feel a kind of wave of orange passing all over him. Gray hair popped out from under his hat, which was also getting bigger.

"Wow," said Sarah. "You can go back now." As Link put the mask back in his belt, she noticed the bracelet pushed up his arm.

"Hey, what's that?" she asked, pointing to it.

"What? Oh, it's a Goron Bracelet. It makes me pick up Bomb Flowers," he replied. "Hey, can we go check out the rest of the mountain?"

"You betcha," she said, grinning widely.

"You know, now that I think about it I never noticed this place before," said Link as they walked. "How come?"

"Well, my parents always said that Mount Goron will only show itself when someone on it is in trouble. My father is chief, you know."

"He is?"

"Uh-huh."

Link stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide. In front of them were clusters of Gorons talking, laughing, showing their wares. A rough rock stair case led up to a similar scene.

Link's eyes bugged out. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed. "Maybe I should've lived here!"

"Link, that's gross," said Sarah, holding her head back.

"What? Oh. Right," said Link, unpopping his eyes.


	4. Tricks or Treats?

"You wanna see something cool?" Link said suddenly, a mischievous grin on his face, his hands behind his back. Before Sarah could answer, he flourished two Deku sticks and handed one to her with a fake bow. "One Deku stick to go, m'lady."

"Deku stick?" echoed Sarah, trying out the strange word. "We've never had any sort of plants here except Bomb Flowers. What are we going to do with them?"

"Watch and learn" replied Link mischievously. "Watch and learn." With a flourish of the wrists, he jumped up onto a ledge, whipped out the Deku stick, and the next instant a dancing flame was flickering away on its tip.

Sarah, with a determined expression, ran forward a little, jumped onto the low ledge, flashed the Deku stick in front of the brazier and the next thing Link knew was that she was falling in his direction, stick tip bare and empty.

"You can keep the stick," laughed Link.

With these lighted torches they made their way through a tunnel where there were all these Bomb Flowers just sitting on the floor. Link lit one. It caused a chain reaction, bursting all the Bomb Flowers. Link and Sarah had to protect their eyes from the blast.

The entrance stood in front of them, cool and firm. A light snow sprinkled their chests. Link turned to Sarah. "It's not supposed to be snowing, right?"

"Nope," she said. "And we're gonna stop it."

Expressions equally determined, they set out.


	5. Snow Storm Again?

The snow was cold. The snow was thick. The snow was swirling. Through the rapidly falling snowflakes, Sarah could see a cave in the distance. "I bet that's where the guy who made all this snow lives," she told Link.

"Right," he said. After a bit more marching but with no talking, Link turned to Sarah. "I have an idea," he told Sarah.

"Not again. OK, what is it this time?"

Link whipped something out of his belt. A mask. Brown, tube mouth, with big sad eyes. "The Deku Scrub Mask," said Link. I only have one but we can both use it."

"Deku Scrub?" echoed Sarah.

Link gave her the mask. As soon as she put it on, Sarah felt the changes begin. So the mask was actually part of her skin. "What about you?"

"Hand me a nut," he said, holding out his hand. Sarah didn't understand, but she popped a Deku nut out of her tube mouth and gave it to him.

That's what Link used to turn into a scrub, but let me tell you about Sarah's transformation. First of all, she was shrinking. Shrinking rapidly. She could feel her orange Goron skin hardening and becoming wood. Her yellowish hair receded into her head. Her happy black eyes were lengthening, widening, saddening. She could feel them drooping on her face. Her mouth stretched out and puckered, the edges lifting out to become a tube thing. Bristly yellowish hair popped up on the top of her head, and she could feel the traditional Goron pattern springing on her back.

She turned to Link. "I still look like a Goron."

"Do I still look like Link?" And he did. Aside from the green elf hat, his boots were also there and even gloves that he hadn't even had on before. Plus his yellow hair was still there in long bangs under his back. Sarah had a flashback of when Link had turned into a Goron in the snow. She'd been semiconscious, but she'd seen the green hat yet again.

"Watch," said Link suddenly, grinning. He jumped up one, two, three times and did a little spin in the air, his green hat flying. He chose his landing spot a few feet away and then hopped five more times ahead of her. "Now you try."

Sarah took a deep breath, ran, and jumped into the air, trying to spin as Link had. She ended up falling on her butt.

"Not like that," said Link, helping her up. "Don't try so hard. Maybe if you just closed your eyes."

They spent the next few minutes hopping around in the snow. When Sarah got it Link called a break. "Dekus can hop like that on poisoned water," said Link as they lay, panting, in the snow. "Zoras can't swim through, and neither can Gorons."

"Zoras?" echoed Sarah.

"Water creatures. You'd like them," replied Link, grinning.

Light reflected from the mouth of the cave onto the snow. It looked comforting with all the light spilling on all this unnatural snow.

"You can take off the mask now," Link told Sarah.

"Huh?" she said. "How can I?"

"Just pull on your face," advised Link. "It'll come off."

"Sarah wasn't sure, but she did as Link asked. She gasped in amazement as she rose up to her natural size (but if you must know, it would sound better if I said 'dwindled' instead of rose up but that's not even true).

Link also pulled at his face and the mask came off, making him grow in almost the same instant. It was actually pretty cool and fluid, if you know what I mean. Anyway, Link tucked the mask into his belt.

"I'm ready," said Sarah.

So saying, they entered the cave.


	6. Evil Goes Here

The cave was a lot bigger than it looked. But there was no time to look around. A gigantic black horse in a corner dragged his foot menacingly, nostrils flaring furiously. (He was about ten feet tall, if you catch my drift.) If you've ever seem any movies with the bull and the red cape, you'll know what I mean.

The horse rolled its livid eyes. And charged.

"Link, throw a bomb!" Sarah was running all over the cave, fear plain in her eyes. She pointed. "Right over-there!"

Link quickly pulled a bomb out of his bag and tossed at the spot. The horse saw the strange thing and galloped over to it. Link and Sarah huddled together.

The bomb exploded in rising orange smoke that reached only to the horse's thick knee. It horse shook its head, snorting. It charged back for Sarah and Link. Link cleverly threw a bomb onto its back.

So on it went. Sarah would point out a spot, and Link would throw the bomb. This would distract it while Link readied another bomb. When the horse turned back to them, Link would toss the bomb onto its back. Then it would try and bite at the bomb like a dog chasing its tail, and the bomb would explode.

Sarah was digging as close as she could against the wall, whimpering with fear. Link hadn't been quick enough, and the horse was now charging toward her, tongue flicking greedily.

Tongue flicking greedily? Does that sound right? But then Sarah felt a warm, hot body flung against her, and she knew it was Link in one of his transformations. She huddled behind the big Goron until she felt the heat of the bomb rise up around her.

Link doubled over, panting. Sarah reached over and pulled a bomb out of his sack, moving him out of the way before plastering him against the wall, pushing her weight against him. She readied, aimed, fired.

The bomb was actually a powder keg, the kind Link couldn't use if he were human. Only Gorons could use it, and the big barrel-like bomb was powerful enough to stun the horse for half a minute.

Link stirred, then before she knew it was up like a shot, pulling off the Goron mask. He tried to aim with a bomb, but it didn't work. "Sarah, I need you to hold up the horse!" Link called. Fire and fumes were rising all around them, no thanks to the powder keg.

"But I can't!" she called back desperately.

"Sarah!"

Sarah took a few seconds summoning her courage, then took a deep breath and darted into the flames. Leaning to the left, she scurried away from the fire and under the horse's belly. He snapped at her, but she bravely held her position and reached up thick Goron arms.

The horse tried to gallop away, but she held his belly tight, preventing all movement.

While the horse was struggling to free itself, Link shot three Light Arrows in succession into the horse's back. It loosed itself from Sarah's grip, gave a deep full-throated whinny, and burst into a million shatters of light.

Sarah was doubled over, panting. When she saw the horse shatter into light, she looked up. You know what that looks like. In the horse's place was a Deku scrub, a tiny little thing covered with leaves and big sad eyes.

But now a man hopped out from behind where he and the horse had been hiding. Sarah and Link quickly turned around. He was a short little man with glowing yellow eyes and a devious expression, almost like a mix between the Happy Mask salesman and a Deku scrub. Now he stepped forward from the shadows.

"Hah! That's my creation," he said mischievously, his eyes glowing more than ever. "A thing to make eternal snow on Mount Goron."

"And now we got rid of it," said Link bravely.

"Look out there. It's still snowing," said the little man.

When they turned to look, he quickly shot an arrow into Link's neck!

Link collapsed on the snow, semiconsciously seeing the world through slitted, dying eyes.

"Hah!" spat the evil one. "Not so brave anymore, is he?"

But then the minuscule Deku scrub, who was no more than two inches tall, hopped over to Link and stuck out a long tongue, which he used to suck around the wound. In a few seconds, it disappeared and that was that.

"What the? That wasn't supposed to happen!" roared out the little man in agony, tearing at his hair.

"Look, you nut," said Link, jumping up on his feet, "There's this _lit-tle _problem of yours. And I'm gonna put a stop to it." He pulled out his ocarina in a twentieth of a second and played the Healing Song.

Writhing in pain, the little man was thrown to the floor. The brightness coming from his eyes weakened and his body lengthened out. In a few seconds, a normal brown-haired man was standing in front of them.

"Thank you," he said. His voice was hoarse, but he really did seem thankful. "When I found an evil mask on the ground, I tried it on for fun. And then it took over me."

"Don't mention it," said Link. "It's happened before."


	7. The End is in Sight

Ownership of the fic, sure. Why not? I mean, I wrote it. Though Legend of Zelda belongs to Shigeru Miyamoto and the people at Nintendo… And, if you R&R my fic, maybe I'll R&R yours!

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After leaving the cave (the man had covered himself with a blanket and made his way over to the Goron cave), the snow disappeared, melting into the ground with a sucking sound.

Sarah watched the snow disappear into the rocky ground that it should be, then she turned to Link. "Link, can you teach me how to swim?"

Link's eyes sparkled. "I'll show you even better. I'll show you how to swim as a Zora."

As soon as the mask was on, Link could feel the changes. First his body started to grow. It was a pleasant feeling, this growing. He could feel himself getting taller and thinner, and his boots adjusting to that. Gloves just kind of appeared onto his hands, and greenish scythe blades pushed themselves out from his long, thin arms. He could feel his cap fusing with his head, fading, stretching out. His eyes shrank and became rounder, blacker. His features were kind of serious, like any Zora (not always the most reassuring thing, if you know what I mean). Sarah could see blue appearing on his body, like the rippling, incandescent surface of sunlit water. It washed and swam before her eyes. Last but not least, Link could feel spots flecking his back. In a few seconds, there was an almost full-grown Zora standing in front of her, with some added battle features.

They spent a good few hours swimming and playing around in a little pool, then it was time to go. Sarah looked squarely at Link, back in his human form again. "I have something to give you," she said. She slid a bracelet off her right arm. It was almost like the Goron Bracelet, thick and golden, only without the black Goron emblem. "Here. It's a Power Bracelet. I want you to have it."

Link nodded dumbfoundedly, firmly securing the bracelet where it belonged, pushing his Goron bracelet into the sleeve of his tunic. Then he searched his belt, wondering what he could give her. eHe found soHHis rebgyiwrwhfhwielgrrwygiw9uguhhgwihyt sfipgAFsrkggsrkpfingers grapsefdbg His fingers grasped around a diamond-shaped crystal. Nayru's Love. He pulled it out and poured a bit into Sarah's still outstretched hand. "Here. This is a bit of Nayru's Love. You can use it to make a shield that'll hit enemies and protect you. It's only a bit, but it'll last forever."

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Sarah watched Link on Epona, a green and roan blot on the horizon. Her lips formed the words. "Bye, Link." The wind carried it away. From his perch on Epona, Link turned to Sarah, standing atop Mount Goron. Two words came from his lips.

"Bye, Sarah."

Sarah watched until horse and rider disappeared from sight, then she skipped away to try out the new Nayru's Love that Link had given her.


End file.
